The controversy within the BJP over the Varanasi and lucknow seats refuses to die down. Senior party leader lalji Tandon and Kalraj Mishra on Monday claimed their right over the lucknow and Kanpur seats respectively saying they have been asked by the senior leadership to contest from these seats.
lalji Tandon is sitting MP from lucknow while Kalraj Mishra is legislator from lucknow (east) and was tipped to contest the lok Sabha election from Kanpur. “Nobody had asked me to vacate the seat for any senior leader. I am a sitting MP. I had contested elections of corporator, legislator and MP from lucknow and had won all of them. Why should I shift to some other constituencyIJ I would contest the next lok Sabha election from lucknow only,” Tandon told The Pioneer here on Monday.
An emotional Tandon even said: “I was born in lucknow. My karma kshetra is lucknow and I will die in lucknow. I am not moving out to any other city.” The controversy erupted after it came to light that BJP president Rajnath Singh, who is the sitting MP from Ghaziabad, wants to contest from lucknow. It was believed that he wanted to change base because of the emergence of AAP in the NCR region. It is also said that Tandon could be given Rajya Sabha seat for his sacrifice.
Tandon said that he could vacate the seat for Modi because lucknow had been the constituency of party’s former Prime Minister AB Vajppayee and Modi is prime ministerial candidate of the BJP. “But no one so far asked me regarding this. I have come to know from media that Rajnath Singh might contest from lucknow. This news is taking rounds in media for many days but so far there is no denial from any quarter,” he said.
Incidentally, the same grievance was aired by Kalraj Mishra. He claims that he was tipped to be party’s candidate from Kanpur and had accordingly started making preparations. “The news reports now say that Murli Manohar Joshi could contest from Kanpur and I could be shifted to Srawasti. No one has spoken to me regarding this so far,” Mishra told The Pioneer.
“Till date, I know I am contesting election from Kanpur. The final decision would be taken by the party leadership and whatever decision they take would be binding on me,” Mishra said.